DRIVERS’ STRIKE THREATENED

Southland Times, Issue 23651, 28 October 1938, Page 6

DRIVERS’ STRIKE THREATENED

Men In Auckland To Meet Minister

DEMAND FOR BETTER CONDITIONS

WHOLE OF NEW ZEALAND MAY BE AFFECTED

(United Press Association)

AUCKLAND, October 27.

Roughly 800 members of the Auckland Drivers’ Union decided at a meeting tonight that if a conference between their executive and the Minister of Labour (the Hon. H. T. Armstrong) in Auckland tomorrow is not productive of satisfaction of their demands for improved award conditions, they may decide at a special meeting next Tuesday night to stop work as from the following morning. It was learned that such a move would have the support of all the unions affiliated with the National Federation, which would mean 13,500 men becoming idle throughout the Dominion.

Other than to say that the Minister was coming to Auckland from Rotorua for the specific purpose of conferring with the union executive, the secretary, Mr L. G. Matthews, declined to comment. The question at issue was the delay in an announcement by the Arbitration Court of the Drivers’ Award, which expired a year ago. Application was then made for a new award and the parties met in conciliation in .February and March of this year. Since the Court had pronounced in February that an increase of 5/- a week should be made to meet the increased cost of living, the union considered' its members had lost at least that much weekly for eight months.. It is understood there were some differences of opinion among the men at the meeting. One section wished to give the executive a free hand in its negotiations with Mr Armstrong upon the argument that, as the matter was in the hands of the Arbitration Court, he could not give a decision. The other viewpoint was that the executive should take an unequivocal stand and demand the following clauses to be written into the award: A 40-hour week (at present 44 hours in the city and suburbs); two weeks’'annual holiday; an all-round increase of 10/- a week, the last mentioned to be retrospective from last February.